Table of Contents
How much copper has been produced?
To date, roughly 700 million metric tons of copper have been produced around the world. This would fit into a cube measuring about 430 meters on a side. Identified deposits contain an estimated 2.1 billion metric tons of additional copper, which brings the total amount of discovered copper to 2.8 billion metric tons.
How much copper is mined each year?
Copper mine production worldwide 2006-2020 In 2006, there was some 15.1 million metric tons of copper produced in mines all over the world. This figure increased to around 20 million metric tons in 2020.
What year will copper run out?
The total supply of copper reaches a maximum 2030–2045, zinc 2030–2050 and lead 2025-2030. The copper supply per person and year and decline after 2130, and the copper stock-in-use reaches a maximum in 2050 and decline afterwards.
How much copper is left in the earth?
Global copper reserves are estimated at 870 million tonnes (United States Geological Survey [USGS], 2020), and annual copper demand is 28 million tonnes. Current copper resources are estimated to exceed 5,000 million tonnes (USGS, 2014 & 2017).
What will the price of copper be in 2030?
Commodities Data and Insights
| Units | 2030 | |
|---|---|---|
| Copper Price ($/mt) | $/mt | 7,953 |
What is the highest copper has ever been?
Highest price for copper: 2021 a record year Copper topped US$4.90 for the first time ever on May 10, 2021, before falling back to close at US$4.76.
Is copper natural or man made?
Copper metal does occur naturally, but by far the greatest source is in minerals such as chalcopyrite and bornite. Copper is obtained from these ores and minerals by smelting, leaching and electrolysis. The major copper-producing countries are Chile, Peru and China.
How many pounds of copper are there in the world?
Known worldwide copper resources are estimated at nearly 5.8 trillion pounds of which only about 0.7 trillion pounds (12%) have been mined throughout history… and nearly all of that is still in circulation, because copper’s recycling rate is higher than that of any other engineering metal.
When was copper first used in the world?
Copper was first used by humans more than 10,000 years ago. A copper pendant discovered in what is now northern Iraq has been dated about 8700 B.C.
Where are copper mines located in the world?
The rest is spread throughout the world. Copper has been found on almost every continent. It has also been mined in Central America, the Caribbean, Northeast Asia, North Central Asia, the Southeast Asian Archipelagos, Eastern Australia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. One of the largest current sources of copper mining today is in Chile.
How are copper deposits formed in the Earth?
Until the development of the modern copper mining process, it was typically a byproduct of mining for other metals. The deposits that contain the largest quantities of copper are called porphyry deposits, and the process of extracting it usually involves drilling an open pit into a layer of sedimentary rock. How Copper Forms in the Earth